Metro Atlanta Transportation Projects Suspended

By ARIEL HART
ahart@ajc.com
If the road project you’ve been waiting on seems to have ground to a halt just as the state got serious about buying the land for it, there may be more to the delay than just delay. Statewide, dozens of such projects have been officially suspended. Eleven fall in metro Atlanta.
As the state Department of Transportation tries to straighten out its books, figure out a better way to choose projects, and deal with a transportation funding crisis, the road contracts it bids out have slowed to a trickle.
The 11 projects listed here were approved for preliminary phases such as buying the land. The department hadn’t yet approved spending for the construction. Still, DOT officials emphasize that these projects re only temporarily suspended and could be restored in the future.
“This is an immediate response to financial constraints,” said DOT spokesman David Spear.
He acknowledged that a recent state audit had shown problems with DOT’s land-buying.
“In the past, as the audit reflected, we bought right-of-way on projects that for one reason or another never materialized. Going forward there’s going to be more scrutinization of the process,” he said.

• 411 Bypass/Connector
  Bartow
• Bridge Replacement on GA 85
  Fayette
• GA 142 Widening/Bridge Replacement
  Newton
• GA 155 Realignment/Straigtening
  Henry
• GA 3/US 19 Widening
• GA 3/US 41/Cobb Parkway Widening
  Cobb
• GA 9 Realignment
  Forsyth
• HOV Lanes for GA 316
  Gwinnett
• Lee Road Widening
  Douglas
• Left turn lanes at GA 140
  Fulton
• Old Covington Highway Widening
  Rockdale